Intrepid Travel is pushing for greater female representation in television travel programming, highlighting its potential to boost the female adventure travel sector.
- Research indicates that a mere 26% of travel shows on major platforms feature female presenters.
- Intrepid believes that visible representation in media inspires women to engage in adventurous travel.
- An exhibition highlighting female adventurers aimed to spark interest and confidence among women in the industry.
- Key figures in the movement include adventurers and media personalities advocating for better gender representation.
Intrepid Travel has initiated a call to increase the visibility of women in travel programming on television, a move considered crucial for advancing the female adventure travel market. According to their findings, only 26% of travel shows broadcasted on mainstream platforms such as BBC iPlayer and Channel 4, feature female presenters. This underrepresentation is seen as a barrier to inspiring women to venture out and explore the world.
The company’s Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Zina Bencheikh, notes a significant uptick in bookings from women of all ages interested in adventure travel. She stresses the importance of seeing women depicted across various media formats, including TV, film, and social media, as a means of boosting confidence among potential female travellers. Her stance is that such representation plays a critical role in sowing seeds of interest and empowerment among women to participate in travel adventures.
To further this cause, Intrepid hosted an exhibition in London last weekend, a pioneering effort by the company to showcase the growth of the female adventure travel sector. Titled ‘AdventurHER: Travel Tales of Inspiring Women’, this exhibition spotlighted the stories of 11 remarkable women, including endurance athlete and former BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin. The event also celebrated adventurer and presenter Alice Morrison, alongside Morocco’s first female mountain guide, Hafida Hdoubane. Morrison, who has the distinct achievement of being the first woman to walk the Draa River in Morocco, has been vocal about the necessity for media to acknowledge and platform stories of female adventurers.
Bencheikh identifies ‘Queenagers’, or midlife women, as an emerging market segment within the industry. In an attempt to leverage this trend, Intrepid is organising a familiarisation trip to the High Atlas mountains scheduled for September, which will be led by Alice Morrison, who resides in the area. This innovative approach aims to equip travel agents with the tools to harness the economic potential of the female travel market.
Hazel McGuire, Intrepid’s General Manager for the UK and Ireland, reiterated the exhibition’s aim to boost the profile of female adventure travel, underlining that the event illustrated how women and adventure travel make an excellent combination. The sentiment that female adventure travel can be brought vividly to life through such exhibitions was echoed throughout the event.
A striking statistic from Intrepid’s survey reveals that a staggering 87% of women feel underrepresented in travel and adventure media content on television. This insight underpins the urgency and relevance of the operator’s campaign, highlighting a significant gap in the current media landscape.
The movement towards greater female representation in TV travel programming is essential in encouraging women to embark on adventure travel.
